Uninvited
by Carol
Summary: DS #8 Old enemies return to take revenge against Darien and the rest of the underfunded-six
1. Default Chapter

Devil's Silver #8 Uninvited (Teaser) 

Devil's Silver #8 Uninvited (Teaser) 

By Carol M.

Summary: Old enemies return to take revenge against Darien and the rest of the under-funded six

Spoilers: Um, nothing in this part that I can think of

Rating: R for violence, angst and disturbing images

Disclaimer: Don't own them, but if I did I-man would be renewed for a third, fourth, fifth and sixth season!

Devil's Silver Stories : Devil's Silver, Gilligan and Mrs. Howell, Follow the Breadcrumbs, Brother to Brother, A Tale of Two Brothers, Wicked Game, A Wedding Story

Author's Note: And so comes the next story in the Devil's Silver saga. This story will probably get rolling sometime next week, but until then I decided to post this little teaser to wet the appetite. Unfortunately, school and other crap will get in the way of me posting a new part everyday like I normally do, so please be patient with me. Uninvited is a sequel to Wicked Game with A Wedding Story to be taken as a kind of pleasant interlude. I will give a quick recap in the next part so you can remember some of the details from Wicked Game. If you want to go back and read it, it is at fanfiction.net under Carol. For this teaser all you need to know is that Darien and Claire have been happily married for about six months. I also would like to warn readers of some material they might find sensitive due to the Sept 11 attacks. Let me just tell you that I envisioned this story long before the attacks and I in no way mean to offend anyone! Sorry for rambling, this note is longer than the freakin teaser! Enjoy!

Six months after A Wedding Story

Claire looked around the Keep in horror, hardly recognizing it. All the computers had been completely trashed, as well as the refrigerator, leaving shards of glass and vials of chemicals dripping on the floor. The fish tank had also bit the dust, taking her prized Piranhas with it. The counteragent chair lay broken and mangled against the floor. The desks were in a similar condition, leaving all the papers that had been piled on top of them strewn about the small lab.

She once again tried to loosen her hands from the handcuffs that had been holding her to a chair for what seemed like hours. She looked to her left and made eye contact with Alex. Alex's hands were handcuffed to a chair as well. She gave Claire a frightened look, which managed to freak Claire out even more. In all the time that Alex had been working at the Agency, Claire had never known the five-star agent to lose her cool.

She looked beyond Alex and saw Eberts also struggling with his handcuffs. He looked panicked beyond belief. He realized that Claire was looking at him and turned his head, attempting a quick, nervous grin. Claire only nodded her head slightly, not even bothering to curl her lips into a smile.

Her eyes left Eberts and focused on the Official. He seemed oblivious to the fact that he was also handcuffed to a chair. Instead, he stared intensely at the floor, a look of anger and fear on his face. She knew exactly what he was looking at. She had been staring at the same spot for a half hour, not taking her eyes away until it had just become to painful to look.

With reluctance, she moved her glance to that horrible spot where Darien lay on his side passed out on the floor. He lay amongst a pile of glass, having earlier been thrown through the glass separator of the Keep. Blood poured from his left temple, forming a small puddle on the floor. More blood trickled out of his back, soaking through his white T-shirt. Cuts and bruises covered his face and throat, marring his normally handsome appearance. His hands were handcuffed behind his back as well, with one of his arms twisted in a very unnatural position. She could see black bruises on his lower stomach, where his shirt had been pulled up slightly. Only god knew what other injuries he had that were covered by his clothes. The only comfort the grisly site provided was the shallow, but steady rise and fall of his chest. He was still breathing, which meant he was still alive. At this point, that was good enough for her.

Claire's heart started to beat faster as she slowly changed her stare from Darien to their captor. He was sitting on the floor, and putting together some sort of electrical device, which Claire deduced was a bomb. Their captor suddenly looked up at her, his silver eyes cutting through her like a knife. A perverse smile appeared on his face. The life she had been carrying inside her for a little over two months now protested internally, and she had to struggle not to throw up. 

She quickly looked back to Darien and had to bite back a sob. She hadn't had a chance to tell her husband that she was pregnant. Not that it mattered now because it looked like they wouldn't be alive for much longer. Tears welled in her eyes as she thought of the injustice of it all. Everything had been so perfect for a few months there, but things had slowly taken a descent into Hell. She closed her eyes, trying to escape the horrible images surrounding her. She wondered to herself how the bloody hell this had all happened.

TBC


	2. Prologue

Devil's Silver #8 Uninvited Prologue

Devil's Silver #8 Uninvited Prologue

By Carol M.

Summary: Old enemies return to take revenge against Darien and the rest of the under-funded six

Spoilers: MFN 1 and 2, maybe BK

Rating: Next few parts are PG

Disclaimer: Still don't own em

Quick Recap on Wicked Game: Chrysalis and Arnaud teamed up. They faked Claire's death so they could use her to fix the quicksilver gland. Arnaud double crossed Chrysalis and got Elizabeth Rendell inside the Agency so she could get PET scans of Darien's gland. In the end, Hobbes killed Stark, Darien rescued Claire, and Arnaud made off with the PET scans without the Agency being the wiser. One little hitch in the plan, however; Arnaud was stuck in jail.

Three Months before Teaser

"You are the dancing queen, la la la, only seventeen. Hm hm hm hm hm hm, la, la, la . You are the dancing queen, la la la la."

"Will you please shut up!"

Huiclos looked over at Arnaud with a hurt expression on his face. Arnaud merely rolled his eyes and curled onto his side, trying to get comfortable on his prison issued cot.

"Arnaud, you need to calm down. Things are not so bad," said Huiclos as he got out of his own cot and picked out a book to read from a small shelf. He walked back to his bed and sat down heavily.

"You're a fool brother. Look at us, we're both locked up like animals," growled Arnaud as he looked around the prison cell he shared with his brother. Sensors covered the whole room, allowing the guards to monitor Arnaud when he decided to take off his mask. The silver bars that held him captive in the cell seemed to laugh at him, mocking his feelings of isolation and capture.

Things had not gone exactly as planned. Arnaud had figured that he would be able to convince one of the guards to assist in his escape from prison, but he had had no such luck. Even the offer of several million dollars had not persuaded them. He was stuck like a rat in a cage and he hated it.

With a heavy sigh, Arnaud reached under his cot and pulled out a letter he had received from Elizabeth several weeks earlier.

Arnie,

Things are well. The store is open for business and there are many interested customers. Will keep you informed and try to work out a plan for you. I miss you, darling.

Love, Elizabeth

Arnaud folded the letter back up and put it back under his bed. At least my scheme is working, he thought. Elizabeth had used Darien's PET scans that she had stolen from the Agency to figure out how to properly construct and install the gland into the next eager host, eliminating the problem of permanent invisibility. She had also discreetly put out feelers to all of those interested in buying a quicksilver gland. The customers were quickly lining up. 

Arnaud wanted out of his cell. He wanted to be visible and he wanted to be at the helm of the scheme that he had cooked up all those years ago. But the damn bars on the wall were preventing all of that from happening.

Dejected, he put his face in his pillow, wallowing in pity. He heard Huiclos singing again and had to cover his ears to avoid the annoying sound.

There was one bright spot in the whole debacle. Arnaud had managed to keep Darien Fawkes and his partner two steps behind him. The Agency had discovered Darien's PET scan files had been stolen and had also realized that the Kara Vore they had been dealing with had been an imposter. But by the time they figured all of this out, Elizabeth was safely tucked away in a place they would never find her. Darien and Bobby had come to question Arnaud with Darien almost pounding the truth out of him, but he had given them nothing. It was a small, but important victory.

Arnaud was just about to fall into a light sleep when he heard the heavy tapping of feet coming from outside his cell.

"De Phon, you have a visitor," yelled one of the guards.

"Which one?" asked Huiclos with a bit of excitement.

"Arnaud," replied the guard.

Huiclos shoulders sank. "Oh," he said softly.

Arnaud got off his bed and shook his head at Huiclos. "Honestly brother, who would visit you?" he asked.

Huiclos responded by burying his face in the book he had been reading.

Arnaud rolled his eyes and let the guard handcuff him and lead him out of the cell. He was walked down a short hallway before he was stopped in front of the visiting room. The guard shoved Arnaud in the room and turned on the thermal detection system that had recently been installed.

"Ten minutes," said the guard as he left the room.

Arnaud focused his eyes on the five or six well-dressed men standing around the room. He regarded them with confusion. "Who the hell are you?" he asked as he sat down in one of the chairs.

One of the men took out a small object and through it at Arnaud. The object landed in Arnaud's lap. Arnaud looked down and saw that it was a model of a double helix. His head snapped up. "Chrysalis," he muttered. "Chrysalis is gone, destroyed," he said, almost in a panic.

One of the suits stepped forward and shook his head. "Oh no, no, Chrysalis is far from gone, Mr. De Phon. In fact, the future is looking quite bright," he said.

"Oh well, that's good," said Arnaud, absentmindedly. "What does Chrysalis's future have to do with me?"

"We understand that you were involved with some negotiations with our late leader, Jared Stark. Invisibility gland, I believe, is that right?" asked the man as he stepped towards Arnaud.

Arnaud nodded. "Yes, that's right. We were working together, trying to figure out how to get the gland to function properly," he responded, not letting the man see the slight fear building inside him.

The man smiled. "Cut the crap, Mr. De Phon. We know about Dr. Rendell. We know about the little gland store you two are about to open up," the man said coldly. "We also know what a piece of double crossing foreign slime you are.

Arnaud smiled. "If you're trying to flatter me, you're not doing a very good job," he said nervously.

The man grinned. "Why don't I just get to the point of this little visit. All of our data concerning the gland was destroyed in the showdown with the Agency. That leaves us very empty handed and I for one don't like that. So, it's pretty simple, we overlook your little betrayal and give you a little money, and in return, you install a gland into one of our men," he said.

Arnaud raised his eyebrows. "Really? Well it's gonna cost you," he said.

"Oh, money will not be an issue. We are rebuilding Chrysalis into a bigger, better organization, and this invisible agent will be invaluable in building that future," the man answered.

"How nice," said Arnaud coolly. 

The man stuck his hand out, then jerked it back when he realized that Arnaud was handcuffed. "Do we have a deal, Mr. De Phon?" he asked, the slightest bit of desperation in his tone.

Arnaud smiled smugly at the man. "Yes, I believe we do. You can make arrangements with my associate, Dr. Rendell. I trust you know how to contact her."

The man nodded, relieved. "Of course," he said, motioning the other men to leave. He looked at Arnaud thoughtfully. "You know, it's a shame you're stuck in here, unable to enjoy all the riches of your little scheme."

Arnaud raised his eyebrow. "You wouldn't want to help an innocent terrorist like myself escape now, would you, Mr…?"

"Roberts. Troy Roberts," he said, smiling. "No Mr. De Phon, we'll give you all the money you want, but this little prison sabbatical is your problem."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Arnaud.

Troy walked to the door. "I wish you good luck," he said.

"Yes, it was a pleasure doing business with you," said Arnaud coolly.

Troy walked out the door, and Arnaud's face lit up in a smile. Things were definitely looking up.

TBC


	3. Part 1

Devil's Silver #8 Uninvited Part 1

Devil's Silver #8 Uninvited Part 1

By Carol M.

Summary: Old enemies return to take revenge against Darien and the rest of the under-funded six

Spoilers: Small one for Exposed

Rating: This part is PG

Disclaimer: Only love them

2 months later

The loud whimpers and harsh convulsions of her husband were enough to wake Claire up from the deepest sleep she could remember having in months. She silently cursed Arnaud for contributing to what had become Darien's nightly dreams of horror.

She sat up quickly, pushing back a roll of nausea that suddenly washed over her. After taking a few deep breaths, the sick feeling left her, and she was able to reach out a hand to caress Darien.

"Shhh, it's okay, it's just a dream," she whispered soothingly in his ear.

He moaned loudly and thrashed about, sending the sheets that had been cocooning Claire to the floor. She sighed and shook her head in worry. "Come on, it's okay," she murmured as she stroked his hair. She lightly kissed a trail of kisses down his neck and planted a final one on his lips.

She heard his breathing gradually returning to normal. "That's it, just calm down, Darien," she whispered as she ran a hand across his pajama clad stomach. She saw him visibly relax against the pillow, a deep sigh escaping from his mouth.

Claire sagged against her own pillow, relieved that this nightmare seemed to have passed. After a few moments, she sat up to pick up her fallen sheets, when her stomach lurched again.

"Bum," she yelled as she covered her mouth and ran for the bathroom. She made it to the toilet just in time and proceeded to vomit all of the spaghetti that Darien had cooked for her the night before. When she finished, she sank down to the floor and took deep breaths, willing her stomach to settle down.

"Claire, you okay?" she heard from behind her. She turned around and saw Darien standing there in his pajamas, looking shaken. Even in her state of nausea, she had to laugh out how adorable Darien looked in his mismatched pajama top and pants. She smiled slightly. "I'm fine, just a little nauseous, that's all," she said.

Darien walked to the toilet and flushed it. "Guess my cooking ain't so great after all, huh?" he said teasingly.

Claire shook her head. "You're cooking is wonderful Darien. I think I might just have a bug or something," she said as Darien kneeled down and helped her off the floor.

"No school for you tomorrow, wifey," he said as he put her back in bed. He ran into the bathroom and soaked a washcloth with warm water. He stepped back out into the bedroom and gently set it on her forehead. He looked at her with concern. "You sure you're okay?" he asked.

She smiled. "I'm fine, Darien. Go back to sleep, 'kay," she said reassuringly.

Darien reached to the floor and pulled up the fallen sheets, wrapping them tightly around Claire and himself. Then he looked at her with his puppy dog eyes. "Sorry if I woke you up," he said softly.

Claire leaned forward and cradled his face in her hands. "No worries, mate," she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Darien smiled. "Okay, Crocodile Claire," he said as he gave her a small hug. He released her and laid back down against the pillow. "Goodnight, Keep," he said.

" 'Night, Darien," Claire responded. Within seconds, she was sleeping soundly.

Darien rolled on his side towards Claire, not really wanting to sleep anymore. Instead, he spent the rest of the night watching his Keeper sleep and trying to forget the terrifying images of invisible assassins and suicide bombers that had taken over his dreams.

*******************************

"Oh god no! Don't die on me baby, please!" yelled Bobby in a panic.

Darien rolled his eyes. "Will you calm down Hobbes. You can always get a new one," he said matter of factly.

"Fawkes! Shut up, she might hear you!" said Bobby angrily.

"Hobbes, her name is Golda, not Christine all right. I really don't think she can hear me," said Darien with irritation. "Just try to start her again. Maybe she's just tired."

Bobby took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Okay Golda, it's just you and me. We've been through some tough scrapes together, baby. I promise if you start for papa, I'm going to treat you to a complete…"

"Hobbes, just start the freakin van!" yelled Darien.

Bobby gave Darien a look of annoyance and then looked back at the stirring wheel. "He's just jealous," he said as he kissed the stirring wheel. "Okay, come on baby," said Bobby as he turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life.

Bobby gave Darien a grin of satisfaction. "See, what did I tell you? Just have to sweet talk her a little bit is all," he said as he pulled onto the street.

Darien laughed in amusement. "Hobbesy, sometimes I wonder about you, my friend," he said jokingly.

"Yeah well, Fawkesy, I pretty much wander about you all the time, so I guess that makes us even," said Bobby as he turned the van around a corner. 

A comfortable silence fell between the two. Darien laid back in the seat, his eyes closing in exhaustion. Bobby looked over at him with concern. "You okay there, Gumby? Claire keep you up all night?" he asked.

Darien opened his eyes and managed a half smile. "Something like that," he said softly.

"Hey, D, were gonna get em all, okay. We'll get Miss Rendell and her little gland store and throw her right into jail with her Swiss Miss boyfriend," said Bobby reassuringly.

"Yeah well, Arnie's already in prison and it hasn't seemed to stop him, right?" said Darien.

"Minor details, my friend. I promise we will nail Arnaud and all of his little henchman. Now has Bobby Hobbes ever broken a promise?" he asked.

Darien smiled. "Not so far," he said warmly.

Bobby nodded as he pulled into his space at the Agency. "All right, then," he said as he shut off the van. He glanced over at Claire's SUV. "Damn, what the hell time does Keep get here?" 

Darien snorted. "Well, she gets up around five and leaves around six thirty. Needless to say, I'm not conscious when she leaves," he said as he got out of the van.

Bobby also stepped out of the van and walked alongside Darien towards the Agency. "How's she doing? Everything going okay?"

Darien's face lit up. "Oh yeah, everything is great. Best thing in my life," he said, quickly glancing at Bobby. "Well besides Thursday night bowling with you, that is."

"You know, I think next week you should bring Claire with us. I've been trying to get Monroe and Ebes to go. We can make it like a whole company outing," said Bobby as he stepped through the door.

Darien nodded as he followed behind Bobby. "Sounds like a plan," he said as they walked to the elevators. Darien pushed the down button while Bobby pushed the up button.

Bobby glanced over at Darien curiously. "You need a shot or something, pal?" asked Bobby when he noticed that Darien had pushed the button to the Keep.

Darien shook his head. "Ah, no, Claire was just a little sick last night, that's all. I just wanted to see if she was okay," he said, as he stepped in the elevator going down. Bobby followed him, grinning his head off.

"What?" asked Darien curiously as he pushed the button to the Keep.

"Nothing," said Bobby as the elevator doors closed.

"What, man?" asked Darien again.

Bobby shook his head. "Naw, it's just…you've changed so much. You are so much more responsible and grownup. I'd like to think I had something to do with that," Bobby said as he puffed out his chest.

Darien smiled. "Well I am your protégé after all. I guess a little Bobby Hobbes must have rubbed off on me. I just hope I don't become bald and paranoid," he said teasingly.

"You should be so lucky, kid," said Bobby.

"Ha, ha," mocked Darien as the elevators doors opened. The partners stepped off the elevator and walked over to the Keep door. Darien pulled out his key and swiped it in the key slot, causing the door to swoosh open. "Oh wifey, wifey, where are you?" called Darien.

Claire popped her head out from the fridge. "To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked as she saw Darien and Bobby walk into the Keep.

Darien put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. " Oh I don't know. Just wanted to make sure you were feeling all right," he said.

Claire smiled. "I'm fine, Darien, I promise," she said, eyeing Bobby. "Hey Bobby, how are you doing?"

Bobby blushed. "I'm good, Keep. Just trying to keep your old hubby in line," he said.

Claire glanced at Darien and laughed. "He certainly is a handful," she said.

"Hey I will have you know, I am not a handful," said Darien.

Bobby scoffed. "Says you." 

"Keep, you gonna let him talk to me like that or what?" he asked.

Claire was about to answer when the Keep door opened. The trio turned their heads and saw the Official and a young man in his late twenties with dark hair and blue eyes walk through the door.

"There you two are," said the Official.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir, I didn't know we had to check in," said Darien sarcastically.

"Can it, Fawkes. I'm not in the mood," said the Official gruffly.

Darien nodded. "Sorry," he said quickly.

The Official put his hand on the shoulder of the young man standing next to him. "Gentleman, I would like you to meet our newest agent, Jason Sullivan."

Darien raised his eyebrows. "We're getting a new agent?"

The Official smiled widely. "Yes. Seems my superiors are very pleased with our Chrysalis performance. They decided that our little organization could use more people to perform similar actions against other terrorists, starting with Arnaud De Phon and Elizabeth Rendell."

"Really, well I'm glad we made them proud," said Darien as he walked over to Jason and extended his hand. "Darien Fawkes."

Jason smiled and shook Darien's hand. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Bobby snorted and stepped forward. "Don't call him sir. It'll go straight to that big head of his," he said as he extended his own hand. "The name is Hobbes, Bobby Hobbes."

Jason nodded and shook Bobby's hand. "Mr. Hobbes, it's a pleasure."

Darien smiled. "Sullivan, you can call us Fawkes and Hobbes," he said. He pointed towards Claire. "That gorgeous blonde over there is my wife Claire Sp…ah…Fawkes."

Claire stepped forward and shook Jason's hand as well. "Nice to meet you."

"A pleasure," he said with a smile. Claire sat down at her desk and started looking through some computer files. Jason eyed her for a second and then looked around the rest of the Keep with curiosity, excitement written all over his face. "So is this where it happens, the whole invisible thing? The Official debriefed me on the whole process. It's absolutely amazing. Fawkes… you're the invisible man right?"

Darien grinned and sped up his heartbeat, letting the quicksilver flow over his body. In seconds, he was invisible.

Jason sighed in wonder. "Wow," he whispered in awe.

Darien let the quicksilver drop and quickly came back in sight. "Thank you," he said, bowing slightly.

Bobby gave him a shove. "Show off."

Darien made a mocking face and cleared his throat. He looked at Jason. "So Sullivan, just curious. Why the hell would you want to come and join the Agency team? I mean we lose practically every season."

Jason started to answer but was interrupted by the Official. "Sullivan here is ex-CIA. He has a number of skills that will be useful against Mr. De Phon, and plus I thought we needed a younger face to add to our cadre of valuable resources."

Darien nodded. "Nice."

The Official stepped in between Darien and Bobby and put his hands on both their shoulders. "Our primary goal boys, is to get those PET scans back from Miss Rendell before things go to far. Otherwise, we will have a whole new problem on our hands, one a lot bigger than an Arnaud or a Chrysalis. We need all the help we can get, and Mr. Sullivan will be an invaluable asset."

Bobby nodded. "If you say so, chief."

"Good," said the Official. "Now I want you to stop goofing off and find Miss Rendell now, you understand?"

"Completely, sir," said Darien.

The Official hit Darien sharply on the back. "Glad to hear it. Now go find Monroe and get the hell out of here," said the Official as he slowly walked out of the Keep.

Bobby turned to look at Jason. "So hotshot, got any ideas where we could start?"

Jason looked thoughtful for a moment and then eyed Bobby. "Well I do have a small network of contacts I made in the CIA. I could check with one of them and see if they've heard anything."

"Hmmm, contacts, good. I have a small string of contacts I like to call HobbesNet. Very, very useful," said Bobby.

"Wow," said Jason. "I like to call my little network Sully's Snitches. It's pretty small, only about 700 people, but it gets the job done."

Bobby nearly choked. "Seven hundred? Is that all? Well hey, you're young right, got to build up the network year by year."

Darien laughed with amusement. "Okay kids, ummm, you want to find Monroe and go get the bad guys now?"

Bobby looked at Darien. "Sounds good, partner."

"Great," said Darien as he stepped next to Claire, who was busying herself studying some computer files. He knelt down next to her and stroked her hair. "I'll see ya later, okay?" he said softly.

Claire smiled and kissed him on the lips. "Bye, be careful." She looked over at Bobby and Jason. "All three of you."

"Don't worry, Keep, we got it covered," said Bobby.

Darien got up and joined Bobby and Jason at the door. Jason turned around and waved at Claire. "It was nice to meet you ma'am."

"Call me Claire. Good to meet you too," she said.

Darien, Bobby and Jason started for the door. "Let's see what you can do, kid," said Bobby as he gave Jason a playful shove out the door.

TBC


	4. Part 2

2 days later

DS #8 Uninvited Part Two

By Carol M.

See first parts for details

2 days later

"I don't like this, Hobbes," said Darien as he nervously looked at the ritzy house across the street from where Bobby had parked Golda.

Bobby put his eyes up to some binoculars and looked inside the house. He could see three or four muscular guys milling about the house. "How you doin? You gonna go freako on me?" asked Bobby as he looked at Darien's wrist.

Darien held up his arm. "Five segments left. It's gonna be close." He turned around and looked in the back of the van where Alex and Jason were setting up surveillance equipment. "How much longer guys?"

"Done," said Alex as she handed Darien an ear mike. "You get in, check the place and get the hell out."

"Yeah, sounds simple, but when you got Rocky and Mr. T walking around in there, things can get a little hairy," said Darien sarcastically.

Bobby patted Darien on the back. "Look Fawkes, according to sources from Hobbesnet, this is the last place that Rendell was seen. She could be up there right now for all we know.

"Yeah, well how come the great Hobbesnet is just finding out about this now. Why didn't we know about this place two months ago?" asked Darien.

"Because genius, Rendell has been out of the country. Apparently she's only been at this location for a couple of days," said Bobby, noticing how tense his partner was. "Look D, just go in there and check it out. If the bad guys are in there we'll bust in the place and take em all down."

Darien nodded and closed his eyes. He opened them a few seconds later and took a deep breath. "You guys got the counteragent, right?"

Jason held it up. "Right here," he said, eyeing the blue liquid.

"Good, cause I think I'm gonna need it," said Darien as he opened up the van door. "Wish me luck," he added as the quicksilver flowed over his body and made him disappear.

Bobby leaned back in his seat and took a deep breath, glancing back at Jason. "So none of your people knew about this place, huh?"

Jason shook his head. "Nope, not a clue. Guess my organization just isn't as sophisticated as Hobbesnet," he said with disappointment.

"Ah, you'll learn kid. I can always give you a few pointers," said Bobby.

Alex cleared her throat. "Shut up you two, we're not going to be able to hear Fawkes."

"Is she always this bossy?" whispered Jason in Bobby's direction.

Bobby nodded. "You'll get used to it."

"Maverick to Goose, Maverick to Goose, come in," they heard come over the mike receiver.

Bobby put a mike to his mouth. "What's your twenty, Fawkes?"

"I'm on the first floor, no sign of anything yet," he whispered. "Going up to the second floor."

"How's the snake?" asked Bobby.

"Three left," said Darien grimly over the mike. "This is Mav signing off."

"Come on, Fawkes, you can do it buddy," whispered Bobby to no one in particular.

The trio sat in silence for several minutes, waiting in anticipation for Darien's next check in.

"What the hell is taking so long?" asked Alex anxiously, breaking the silence.

"Hobbes, she's here, help, help, ahhhhhhhhhh" they heard yelled into the receiver.

"That's our cue. We're coming, partner!" Bobby yelled into the mike.

Alex and Jason jumped out of the back of the van and ran towards the house. Bobby was right on their tale.

They reached the front door and Bobby kicked it in. "Freeze, BWM!" yelled Bobby and Alex simultaneously.

They were met with gunfire. The trio hit the deck and Bobby and Alex returned fire. Jason hopped to his feet. "I'll get the back," he yelled, his gun out and ready to fire.

"Be careful, kid," yelled Bobby. He looked at Alex. "Let's do it, Monroe."

"Ready when you are," she yelled.

The pair stood up and walked towards the door. Bobby quickly turned and fired into the room. They heard a grunt and the sound of something collapsing. Alex stepped closer and fired her own gun. 

They were greeted with silence followed by the sound of someone laughing. Bobby cautiously stepped into the room, ready to fire. Alex followed close behind, her gun aimed into the center of the room.

Bobby put his gun down when he saw the source of the laughter.

Darien was standing over two of the thugs, both of them unconscious. When he saw Bobby and Alex, he gave them a wicked, red-eyed smile. "It's about time you two joined the party," he mused.

Bobby saw blood dripping down the side of Darien's head. "Fawkes, you're hurt. Let's us give you a shot," he said as he searched his pockets. "Damn it, Sullivan has the counteragent. Sullivan, we need the freakin blue stuff!" he yelled.

Alex stepped cautiously toward Darien, ready to take him down if it was necessary. "Easy Fawkes, let us help you."

Darien lashed out with his arm, knocking Alex to the ground. "I've had enough of your damn help," he yelled angrily. Darien glanced towards the front door and saw Jason enter with a shot of counteragent in his hands. "Well lookie who decided to pay a visit,"

Darien quickly lunged towards Jason, ready to pounce on him. Bobby reacted by throwing his body on Darien and forcing him to the ground. "Shot, now Sullivan!"

Jason quickly stepped to where Bobby held Darien on the ground and handed the shot to Bobby. Darien reacted by bringing a leg up and kicking Jason in the face.

"Ow, damn," yelled Jason as he was forced to the floor.

In the meantime, Alex got off the floor and jumped on top of Darien, allowing Bobby to loosen his grip. Bobby took the needle and jammed it into Darien's neck. "Ahhhhhh," screamed Darien as the counteragent hit his system. His body convulsed a few times, his eyes rolling back in his head as he lost consciousness.

Alex released her tight grip on Darien and let him sink to the floor. She glanced at Jason. "You okay?" she asked.

Jason rubbed his face and stood up from the floor. "Yeah, I think so."

Bobby knelt down next to Darien and checked his head wound. "I think someone just gave him a little whack, it doesn't look too serious," he said as he patted his partner on the back. He glanced up at Jason. "What the hell happened to you?"

"Rendell and two guards made a break out the back. I chased them a few blocks, but they had a car waiting and got away. License plate starts with a J. Black sedan," said Jason as he looked around at the men lying on the floor. He rubbed the back of neck. "Maybe these guys can give us some leads on where she might have gone."

Bobby was about to speak when he heard a groan. He looked down and saw that Darien was starting to stir. "Hey buddy, how you feeling?" asked Bobby as he helped Darien to a sitting position.

Darien fingered the wound on his head and glanced at his coworkers. He noticed a bruise starting to form on the side of Jason's face. "Aw crap, I'm sorry man. Hell of a way to spend your first week," said Darien.

Jason waved his hand. "Hey, it's not a problem. I'm young and resilient."

Darien nodded and looked at Bobby. "She got away didn't she?" he said.

"Fraid so, pal," said Bobby as he helped Darien off the floor.

Darien looked at the unconscious men on the ground. "Maybe Big Bird and Elmo can help us out, but I seriously doubt it," he said dejectedly.

Bobby put a hand on Darien's back and guided him towards the door with Jason following close behind. "Come on boys, let's go to the Keep. Alex, call for some agents and take care of these two," he said as he pointed to the thugs.

"All ready on it," said Alex as she took out her cell phone and started to dial.

Darien lay in the counteragent chair with his eyes closed as Claire delicately wiped at his bleeding forehead. Jason stood next to the pair with an icepack covering his cheek. Bobby was hovering near the fish tanks, trying to stay out of the way of the injured.

"I think it's okay. No concussion, just a cut and bruise," said Claire to Darien as she rubbed some ointment on the wound. She took an icepack out of the refrigerator and put it against Darien's head.

Darien groaned and opened his eyes. "I can't believe we almost had her and she just gets away," he said angrily. He looked up at Claire and noticed how pale her face had become. "Hey Claire, you okay?"

Claire managed a smile. "Fine," she said quickly.

Darien reached up to her head and caressed her cheek. "You're not feeling good, are you?"

Claire shrugged and threw away the tissues she had used to clean Darien's cut. Darien stood up from the chair and pulled her over to him. "You're going home," he said firmly.

"What?" she asked.

"I'm taking you home. You're sick and I don't want you working."

Claire sighed. "Darien, really I'm fine, it's just a bug."

"I think he's right, Keep," said Bobby from the fish tanks. "You're not looking too good."

Claire looked at them both with disbelief. "Guys, I am a doctor you know. I think I would know if something was wrong."

Jason cleared his throat. "They just care about you, that's all."

"Come on," said Darien as he dragged Claire towards the door.

Claire scoffed. "Fine, I'll go home. But you have to go home too," she said, eyeing Darien.

"Hey, you got no arguments here," said Darien.

Claire glanced back at Jason. "Are you okay? Do you just have that one bruise?"

Jason rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm gonna go check with the snitches again and see if they can get any info about Rendell."

Bobby stepped towards Darien and Claire. "And while you do that kid, I'm gonna take these two home."

"Bobby come on, I can drive," said Darien.

"No, no, no, no. You got a head injury and Keep looks like she's about to pass out. I'm taking you both home, no arguments," said Bobby.

"Fine," said Darien as he put his arm around Claire and walked to the door. Bobby and Jason trudged behind. Today had just not been a good day.

Jason sat scrunched in his chair at the train station, glancing nervously at everyone who walked by. He rolled his head back and forth, trying to somehow ease the pain that was coming from the back of his neck. When he saw a woman dressed in a black pantsuit and hat stroll by, he got up and quickly walked to the bathroom. The women followed behind and led him into the first stall.

She pushed Jason down on the toilet and took a syringe of counteragent out of her purse. "I shouldn't even give you this," said Elizabeth Rendell with anger. She prepped the needle and injected it into Jason's arm.

"Hey, don't look at me, okay. I didn't know where you're damn hideout was. How was I supposed to know that one of the bald idiot's sources would know where you were. It's just lucky that I was the one covering the back and let you guys get away," said Jason. He winced as the counteragent entered his system.

"You didn't really have much of a choice did you? You don't have me, you don't have the counteragent. Though I supposed you could steal some from the Agency," she whispered harshly.

Jason gave her a sharp look. "I'd rather die then take anything from those people. Listen, you talk to Arnaud, tell him I'll give him however much money he wants for the counteragent."

Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. "I'll talk to him, but I can't guarantee he'll go for it."

Jason stood up and sagged against the doorway, relief from the quicksilver madness pain flooding through his body. "Just try, okay. Look, next time, we meet at the mall."

Elizabeth smiled coldly. "Whatever you say Mr. Sullivan," she said as she roughly brushed past him and walked out the door.

Jason stood in the stall for a few more minutes, pondering all the things he had to accomplish that night.

It was two in the morning when Jason entered the Agency. He let the quicksilver coat his body and then expertly let himself in through the front door in a manner that would not alert anyone that the place had been broken into.

His first stop was the Keep. He entered the door with a keycard he had stolen and made his way over to the computer. He inserted a disk and pressed download. Ninety seconds later, the contents of Claire's computer were all neatly copied onto the disk. The download was untraceable of course. Jason had made sure of that. He quickly ejected the disk and left the Keep.

His next stop was the computer in Ebert's office. He inserted the disk again and copied all of the payroll, budget and personnel files contained on Albert's hard drive. Another ninety seconds and the job was done.

His last stop was in the operations office. He once again inserted the disk and copied everything there was to know about various missions and all of the agents that were working on them.

When he was done with his vandalism, he made his way out of the building, kissing the disk that would give Chrysalis everything it needed to destroy the Agency and might possibly even give him his salvation from the sharp syringes of Elizabeth Rendell. Today had been a good day after all.

TBC sometime over the weekend


	5. Part 3

Four days later 

DS #8 Uninvited Part 3

By Carol M.

See first parts for details

Two days later

Arnaud tapped his fingers against the table in the visitor's room in the prison, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Jason Sullivan. After Elizabeth had told him that Jason wanted to have the formula to the counteragent, Arnaud had come up with plan. A plan that would make him a free man once again.

His head shot up as the door to the small room opened. He saw a young man with brown hair and blue eyes enter the room with a look of slight fear on his face.

"Ten minutes," Arnaud heard the guard mutter. The guard closed the door and Jason sat down in a chair opposite Arnaud.

Arnaud smiled. "So we finally meet. It is a pleasure, I assure you," said Arnaud coolly.

Jason shoved his hands in his pockets. "I didn't come here to meet you, I came here to deal. If anyone finds out I was here it could blow my whole cover."

"No worries, Monsieur, no one will find out," said Arnaud as he cleared his throat. "I have a business proposition for you."

Jason's eyes went wide. "What kind of proposition?"

"Something that will get us both what we want," said Arnaud.

"I'm listening," said Jason impatiently.

Arnaud leaned forward towards Jason's ear. "What do you say you break me out of here and in return, I give you the formula for the counteragent," he whispered.

"And exactly how do you propose I do that?" asked Jason angrily.

Arnaud leaned back and smiled. "Now, now. We both know that you're connected to the top guys at Chrysalis. I'm sure you're friends over there would be happy to help a comrade in trouble."

"You're insane," said Jason coldly.

"That may be true, but you'll join me in a few short days if I decide to, oh I don't know, withhold the counteragent," said Arnaud.

Jason stood up fuming. "You son of a bitch. That wasn't the deal and you know it."

Arnaud grinned. "That's the thing about the gland, friend. I'm the only one who has it, so that means I can do anything I damn well please," said Arnaud as he pulled a syringe out of his pocket.

Jason eyed the blue liquid and licked his lips.

"Just to show you how serious I am about this, I'm willing to give you a little sanity boost right now," said Arnaud as he caressed the needle.

Jason took a deep breath and sat back down in the chair. He held out his arm.

Arnaud raised his eyebrows. "I take it that means we have a deal?"

Jason nodded silently as Arnaud plunged the needle into his arm. His body went limp for a second and he had to struggle not to pass out.

"It goes down tomorrow at noon. You get your Chrysalis buddies to get me and my brother the hell out here," said Arnaud firmly. "When me and my brother are both safe, Elizabeth will give you the formula."

Jason nodded and slowly stood up. "It's a deal, Mr. De Phon."

"I'm glad to hear it," said Arnaud.

Jason quickly walked out of the room, leaving Arnaud to sigh happily in his chair.

When Jason got outside the prison, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Troy Roberts' number.

"Hello?" he heard Troy say.

"Troy, it's Sullivan. Look, I got a favor to ask you, amigo," said Jason as he made his way to the car.

"Anything for my best friend of 20 years," replied Troy.

Jason smiled and got into his car. "I was hoping you would say that."

The Next Day

Darien sat in a chair in front of the Official's desk, his head in his hands. Bobby sat next to him with his leg crossed, a pissed off expression on his face. Jason and Alex hovered near the door, both trying to make themselves invisible.

"All right, people, this is ridiculous," said the Official, fuming. "It's been four days since the little rendezvous with Rendell and you still haven't found her. I want to know why."

Darien looked up. "That 's a very good question, sir. I'd like to know the answer to that myself," said Darien as he looked at Bobby and then at Jason and Alex. "I thought you spooks had more than enough informants to go around. How come none of them have given us any info."

Bobby cleared his throat. "Perhaps dear Fawkesy, Rendell has gone underground for real this time. Hobbesnet cannot penetrate the center of the earth you know." He turned around and looked at Alex and Jason. "What about you two? Anything?"

Jason shook his head. "Nope, it's like she disappeared off the face of the earth."

"Yeah, none of my people have seen here either," said Alex.

The Official looked at Darien. "What about the bodyguards? Did you find out anything from them?"

"Nope, Hans and Frans were very unhelpful. They didn't know a thing about Rendell or Arnaud, they were just hired mooks. Surprise, surprise," he said sarcastically.

The Official slammed his hand against the desk. "This is unacceptable, people!"

"Well what the hell do you want us to do, huh? You think I don't want to find that woman with every pore of quicksilver in my body, sir," said Darien, in a very upset tone. He sighed heavily and sank down in his chair.

Bobby put a supporting hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Fawkes, we're gonna find her. We just have to try a new angle."

Darien gave Bobby a hopeful look. "Angles. Angles are always good."

"That's what I'm talking about, buddy," said Bobby as he stuck out his hand. Darien slapped it and gave him a small smile.

"Just what angles are you going to pursue?" asked the Official.

Before Bobby could answer, his cell phone rang. He stuck his finger up in the air. "One minute, sir, this could be important."

The Official grumbled, but didn't say a word.

Bobby took his cell phone out of his jacket and answered it. "Bobby Hobbes…yeah…who is this?"

Darien started to open his mouth to talk but Bobby waved his hand for him to be quiet.

"What…ah man…okay, we'll be right there," said Bobby, hanging up his phone.

"What, what?" asked Darien anxiously.

"De Phon's making a break for it," said Bobby as he quickly stood up. 

Jason convulsively swallowed, but made no other sign that he was inwardly panicking.

"Who was that?" asked Darien.

"I have no clue. They just said they were a concerned citizen," said Bobby.

Darien quickly got out of his chair and ran to the door. He pushed Alex and Jason out the door and followed behind them. Bobby was in tow.

"Don't let him escape!" they heard the Official call after them.

The foursome reached the van and quickly piled inside. Bobby put the key in the ignition and turned it, but there was no sound. 

Darien slammed his hand against the seat in frustration. "Damn it Golda, this is not the time to act up, sugar!"

Bobby caressed the wheel. "Start baby, please start!"

Darien leaned his head towards the wheel and joined in. "Come on honey, start for us. Start for Hobbesy, come on baby."

Alex sighed angrily from her position in the back of the van. "Guys we don't have time for this!"

"Just one more try," said Bobby, eyeing Darien. Without a word, Darien joined Bobby in simultaneously kissed the stirring wheel. Bobby tried the key again, and the engine roared to life.

"Thank god," said Darien with relief.

Bobby drove the van out of the parking lot and quickly made his way to the highway. 

******************************

When the van pulled into the parking lot of the prison, Darien quickly realized that they were not too late. He saw men in expensive suits engaged in a firefight with armed prison guards wearing thermals. 

He quickly got out of the van and quicksilvered, ready to hunt for Arnaud.

Bobby, Alex and Jason also got out of the van. Jason quickly ran over to the far side of the prison, saying something to the effect that he was going to see if Arnaud had found another way out.

Bobby and Alex were too busy shooting at the men in black to argue.

Darien quickly made his way into the prison and expertly made his way to Arnaud's cell. It was empty, no sign of Arnaud or Huiclos.

"Damn it!" yelled Darien in frustration. He methodically started to make his way through the prison, to see if Arnaud was laying low somewhere.

Jason made his way around a corner in the back of the prison and quicksilvered himself. He was shocked when he saw a blue and orange glow coming off the black and white bodies of Arnaud and Huiclos. Arnaud was clutching his side, blood pouring out of it from a bullet wound.

"You stupid idiot! Is this what you call help?" yelped Arnaud.

Jason grabbed on to Huiclos and quicksilvered him. He led the two of them towards the front, hoping to slip them past Alex and Bobby.

Bobby and Alex continued to fire at the men in black. They had split up a bit from one another and had managed to take down three of their men. The prison guards had all backed off and retreated back into the prison, not willing to risk their lives to keep Arnaud locked up.

Darien was quickly making his way out of the prison, realizing that Arnaud must be outside somewhere. He ran past the prison guards, knocking a few of them down in his rush to get out the door. As he finally surfaced out the front door, he could make out Bobby and Alex still firing. He stayed where he was, not wanting to get hit by a stray bullet.

Jason had almost gotten Arnaud and Huiclos safely out of harms way when a stray bullet found it's way over to the trio. Huiclos fell to the ground, moaning in pain. Arnaud muttered a curse and continued to run towards the exit. Jason knelt down over Huiclos, who was gradually becoming visible. Jason quickly let the quicksilver flake off of himself now that he was out in the open so Darien would not accidentally spot him.

Bobby paused in firing for a second and casually looked around, seeing if there were any other bad guys trying to sneak up on them from behind. He looked to his far right and gasped at the sight of Jason shedding quicksilver. "What the hell," he said to himself in shock. He stood up from the metal sign he had been using as cover, momentarily forgetting he was engaged in a gunfight.

This was all the opportunity the men in black needed. The remaining two opened fire on Bobby, shooting him over and over again. The pain tore through Bobby, sending him into unconsciousness almost immediately. He fell like a limp rag doll to the floor, blood leaking out from his wounds.

Alex responded by standing up from her crouched position and shooting her gun furiously. She nailed the two shooters, and they were dead in an instant.

Darien stood in horror from his position near the entrance of the prison as he watched his partner get shot and fall to the ground. "Hobbes!" he yelled at the top of his lungs as he ran to his fallen friend.

He saw Alex already kneeling over him and he saw Jason kneeling over another injured person farther away. He couldn't make out who it was and at that point, he didn't really care. All he wanted to do was to get to Bobby. All Darien's breath left him when he saw Bobby lying in a pool of blood, his eyes closed and his face pale. Alex was on her cell calling for an ambulance and Jason was slowly making his way over to the trio.

Darien knelt down next to his partner and took his pulse. When he found a faint one, he nearly leapt with joy. He quickly took off his jacket and shirt and pressed them against the many holes in Bobby's body. "You're gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay, you're gonna be okay," he kept whispering, as much for Bobby as for himself. He grabbed Bobby's hand and started to rub it. "You will not die on me. I can't lose someone else," he said with a choked whisper. "You're not gonna be like Kevin you bald son of a bitch. You will not die, you hear me."

He jumped when he felt a hand on his back. He turned around and saw Alex trying to encourage him to release Bobby. He realized that the paramedics had arrived and were ready to work on his partner. Darien stepped aside but didn't let go of Bobby's hand as the paramedics worked on him. He wanted to cry, he wanted to cry so badly, but he wouldn't let himself. 

He held on to Bobby as he was loaded into the ambulance, fearing if he stopped touching his partner, he would lose him. His mind hardly registered the sound of the siren starting up as the ambulance tore out of the parking lot. All he could focus on, was his partner, his best friend, bleeding all over the ambulance. He said a silent prayer, begging God to let Bobby live.

TBC


	6. Part 4

Several hours later 

Several hours later

Darien leaned his head against the stark white walls of the hospital and took a deep breath. A chill ran through his body, causing goose bumps to form on his flesh. He looked down and realized he was bare from the waist up. Funny, when you're partner's bleeding to death on the ground, somehow your favorite shirt and jacket don't really amount to much.

It had been several hours since the doctors and nurses had had to pry Darien off of Bobby so they could try to save his life. He hadn't heard a word since and as the time went on, he was getting more and more nervous.

He glanced over at Alex who was sitting against the wall of the long hallway. He could tell she didn't really know what to do in this situation. She was upset, that much was obvious, but she made no attempt to take or show comfort with Darien. Instead she sat in silence, flipping her hair, waiting for the news of Bobby Hobbes.

Jason had gone back to the Agency to give the Official a report on what had happened. They had managed to get Huiclos safely tucked back into prison, his bullet wound turning out to be just a simple graze. Darien would question him later, but all he wanted right now was to make sure his partner was going to be okay.

He felt a hand rub his back gently. He turned around and saw Claire holding the top to a pair of scrubs. "Thought you might want this," she said as she handed it to him.

He took the green shirt and quickly threw it on his body. "Thanks," he said.

Claire leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Darien. He put his head on her shoulder and closed his eyes. He felt her hand rubbing the back of his neck softly. "He's going to be okay, Darien. I promise," she said.

He didn't respond. He pulled her closer to him, only wanting to be held for a little while. His eyes were fighting tears that he absolutely would not let fall.

Claire could feel him trembling in her arms and wished that he would let himself break. She knew if he held in everything in that he was feeling it would be bad for him later. But Darien was stubborn, and she knew the only way she would get him to deal with his emotions was when he was good and ready to do it himself.

"Mr. Fawkes?"

Darien and Claire broke apart from their hug and looked at a short middle-aged man dressed in bloody blue scrubs.

Alex stood up from her position on the floor and joined Claire and Darien.

"How is he?" Darien asked impatiently.

"I'm Dr. London. I was one of the doctors who treated your partner. Mr. Hobbes suffered a tremendous amount of blood loss and his body is in shock. He's hanging on right now, but I must be honest when I tell you it doesn't look very good. His body is in a kind of a coma right now to aid in healing. We're not sure if he will ever wake up from it. I'm sorry," said Dr. London with sympathy.

"Can we see him?" asked Claire.

"Not for a few hours. He's in recovery right now and will be moved into a private room in several hours. Does Mr. Hobbes have any family that we should notify?" asked Dr. London.

"He's got a sister somewhere, but I don't know how to reach her. Other than that, I don't think he has any other family besides us," said Darien softly.

Dr. London nodded in understanding. "I'll have a nurse let you know when you can visit him." 

"Thank you, doctor," said Claire.

Alex stared awkwardly at Darien. "I think I'm gonna go back to the Agency and see if there's anything I can do there," she said. She stepped to Darien and put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll get through this Fawkes, he's a tough son of a bitch."

Darien bit his lower lip and nodded. "Thanks Monroe."

Alex looked at Claire. "Is there anything you guys need or anything?"

Claire smiled sadly. "No, I think we're okay. Thanks Alex."

Alex nodded. "Okay, well I'm going to go update the Official. I'll come back a little later when we can visit."

"Bye Alex," said Claire.

"See you guys later," said Alex as she walked down the long hallway and got on an elevator.

Claire looked up at Darien and saw a blank look on his face. She pointed to a row of chairs. "You want to sit?" she asked gently.

Darien shrugged his shoulders. "Sure, why not," he said.

Claire put a hand on his lower back and guided him into the chairs. Darien sat down and put his head in his hands. Claire ran her fingers through his hair, trying to do something to comfort her husband. She had a feeling that nothing she did was going to do him any good at this point.

Suddenly, Darien looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. "Hey Claire," he said softly.

"Yeah, Darien?" asked Claire.

"I love you," he said simply.

"I love you too. And Bobby knows that you love him as well," said Claire.

"You think?" said Darien, wiping at his eyes.

"I know so," she said matter of factly.

Darien sat back up in his chair and grasped Claire's hand tightly in his own. Then he leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes, hoping that this whole thing had been some horrible nightmare. But somehow, he doubted it.

A few hours later

Darien stepped into Bobby's small hospital room with apprehension, wanting nothing more to run home and bury himself under the covers rather than see his partner so helpless. But he wasn't going to do that. Bobby needed him and he was determined not leave his side, not matter how hard it was for him.

Darien's breath hitched in his throat when he saw Bobby's still form hooked up to about a million tubes. He looked weak and helpless, two words that Darien never thought would apply to his partner.

Darien made his way over to a chair that had been set up next to the bed and sat down heavily. He looked at Bobby and gave him a smile. "You know buddy, if you wanted time off from work that bed, you could've just asked the fat man," he said, grabbing Bobby's hand. "Of course, knowing 'ole Charlie, you probably wouldn't have gotten it."

He sighed heavily and started to caress Bobby's hand. "What are you doing, Hobbes? This isn't the way it's supposed to happen, man. You're Bobby Hobbes. You're supposed to laugh in the face of danger and mayhem, my friend, not get caught in the crossfire."

Darien's eyes filled with tears, but he quickly blinked them away. "I will not cry for you, Hobbesy. I'm not crying because I'm not going to lose you. You will get through this and everything will be fine. That's a promise that I won't break, partner. You know if you want to add anything, feel free to just jump in anytime, buddy."

All that greeted him were the beeps of the monitors. Darien ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Come on, buddy, wake up! Don't leave me here. I need you, Bobby. I guess you never realize what you have until it's gone. You think I would've learned that lesson with Kevin, but unfortunately I don't think it ever sunk into this big, hair covered brain of mine. Well guess what? I love you, Hobbesy. No, no like that. You know what I'm talking about. You're my best friend. Ah hell, you're the best friend I ever had my whole life. You're like a brother," said Darien, sniffling.

"You know I've done this crap before. I said all this warm and gushy stuff to Kevin and then I lost him. But of course, if I hadn't have lost him, I never would have met you or Claire. Is it wrong for me to think like that? To be almost grateful in a way that he died? Hobbes, what the hell is wrong with me? Come on, I need your expert psychological opinion, here," said Darien.

He shook his head. "God I'm bad at this. I don't know what to think or feel. Claire, she's trying to be so strong for me, but I know she's probably sitting somewhere crying right now. Come on Hobbes, you don't want to disappoint your mistress. Yeah, thought I didn't know about you and Claire and you're secret love affair. Well that's where your wrong, my friend. Nothing gets by Darien Fawkes," said Darien jokingly. "God, I sound like you."

Darien let go of Bobby's hand and leaned back in the chair. "Here's some interesting tidbits, Robert. Seems that Miss Monroe and Mr. Eberts and hell, even Mr. Borden are very concerned about you. I heard a rumor that Eberts was weeping, but that's just speculation. And Monroe, she was all broken up about it. I think when you get out of here, you should ask her out. That's just the way I see it, man," said Darien with a smile. He leaned forward, hoping like hell that Bobby would sit up and banter with him.

When he didn't, Darien's eyes welled with tears. He leaned forward and caressed Bobby's forehead. "Hobbes, say something damn it! Come on, you're supposed to be answering me, insulting me, anything! This whole banter thing is not a one sided deal, we're a double act, here!"

Darien took a few deep breaths to compose himself. "Okay, so you don't want to talk, that's cool, man. You rest, okay. I'll be right here when you wake up," he said as he leaned his head over Bobby's and kissed his forehead, letting a few tears drops fall onto Bobby's face. Then he sank back in his chair and wiped at his eyes. "I will not cry," he whispered to himself.

The Next Day

Jason made his way through the halls of the hospital, heading towards Bobby's room. He figured it might like suspicious if he didn't put in a visit. Of course, he was totally unaware that Bobby had witnessed his disappearing act, but at this point, that didn't really seem to matter.

He had paid a visit to Huiclos and warned him that if he said anything about who or what he really was, that Huiclos would be in for a world of hurt. Huiclos meekly complied and told him that Arnaud would contact him in several days in regards to the counteragent. Jason couldn't have been happier.

He stepped into the room and saw Darien reading a book out loud to his partner.

"Hey Fawkes," he said softly as he walked towards the bed.

Darien looked up from the book with surprise. "Hey," he said. "Thanks for coming, Sullivan. Hobbes would appreciate it."

Jason nodded towards Bobby. "How's he doing?"

Darien looked back at Bobby and shrugged. "He's hanging on. I just wish he would wake up and say something, you know."

Jason nodded. "Yeah."

Darien looked thoughtful for a second and then glanced at Jason. "You got any brothers, Sullivan?"

Jason's face clouded for a second. "Not anymore. I had one, an older brother, but he got killed in the line of duty."

Darien nodded. "I had a brother, Kevin. He got killed. Arnaud, that Swiss bastard," he said shaking his head. "I don't know, this whole thing with Hobbes is just taking me back, you know. Hobbes is kind of like the brother I never had and I don't think I could take it if he died."

Jason stepped forward and leaned against Bobby's bed. "We're you close with your brother?"

Darien shook his head. "Not really. Actually, we were just getting to know one another when he got killed. Makes me regret all the time that we had that we didn't take advantage of. What about you?"

Jason smiled. "Me and my brother were best friends. I wanted to be just like him. He would always harass me and stuff, but we loved one another."

"Yeah, I hear that," said Darien. He cleared his throat. "Any word on De Phon or Rendell?"

"Nope. Went to see Huiclos and he didn't have any information. The airports and customs have all been notified, but so far, nothing," said Jason grimly.

Darien sighed harshly. "Man, we're never going to get that son of a bitch. What about the shooters?"

"Chrysalis," said Jason simply.

"Chrysalis? No, no, no, Chrysalis is gone," said Darien in confusion.

"Not anymore. Apparently, a few small sects are starting up again. They're trying to rebuild what Stark left behind. That's a hell of a challenge," said Jason.

"What the hell is Arnaud doing with Chrysalis. This whole thing is just too weird," said Darien in frustration. He looked back at Bobby. "I can't deal with this stuff right now. I need to be here for Bobby."

"That's understandable. They'll still be there when he gets out," said Jason reassuringly.

Darien looked at him with wide eyes. "You really think he's going to get out here?" asked Darien.

Jason smiled and nodded. "From what I've seen of Bobby Hobbes, I don't think something as tiny as a few bullets could take him out. I'm sure he'll pull through."

Darien looked back at Bobby and nudged him on the shoulder. "That's right, man. You get through this, you hear me!" said Darien. Somehow he knew that his partner did indeed hear him.

He turned his head to look back up at Jason. "Hey…Sullivan…thanks man," he said sticking out his hand.

"Aw man, you're letting me do the secret hand shake?" said Jason as he slapped Darien's hand in the proper sequence.

"Yeah, well, we are partners in a sense. Just seems right. I don't think Hobbesy would mind," said Darien.

Jason nodded. "Hey, thank you. I'm gonna head back to the Agency, see if there's anything I can do," he said as he backed towards the door.

"Thanks for coming by, Sullivan," said Darien.

"No problem," said Jason as he walked out of the room. As he walked through the halls, he wondered why he was starting to feel slightly sorry for Darien Fawkes. He shook the feeling off and headed towards his car. 

TBC 


	7. Part 5

Jason sat with white knuckled eagerness on the bench in the Pine Mall 

DS#8 Uninvited Part 5

By Carol M.

See first parts for details

Note: Buckle up folks, it's about to get very bumpy. Enjoy!

Several Hours Later

Jason sat with white knuckled eagerness on the bench in the Pine Mall. He was just hours away from the madness and the sheer thought of it was enough to make his body break out in a cold sweat.

The thing he hated about the madness was the lack of control. Hurting people or destroying property didn't really bother him, but the lack of control over his mind and his body was enough to drive him into insanity all on its own.

He checked his watch for the third time in 10 minutes. Elizabeth was late and it was making him incredibly edgy. He wondered if making a deal with the devil had been worth it, but he quickly concluded that it had. Anything for his brother.

The sound of his cell phone ringing took him out of his thoughts. He quickly pulled it out of his jacket and answered it.

"This is Sullivan," he said.

"Ah, Mr. Sullivan, so glad I caught you," he heard in a foreign accent.

"De Phon? Where's Rendell? We had a deal," said Jason with anger.

"Yes our deal. The deal was you were going to get my dear brother and I out of prison. Unfortunately, Huiclos is still in prison, so as far as I'm concerned that leaves our deal null and void," Arnaud casually replied.

"No, no, no. I need the counteragent, you bastard," yelled Jason in desperation.

He heard Arnaud clearing his throat. "You know Mr. Sullivan, I've been doing some thinking, and I've concluded that having you as a gland customer is not worth the risk. My operation was almost exposed because of you and that idiot Agency," said Arnaud.

Jason took a shuddering breath. "I will find you, and I will kill you!" cried Jason.

"First, you'd have to find me and I guarantee that won't be happening. And besides, I suspect that once you actually do hit the madness, I'm not the one you're going to want to kill. Why don't you do us both a favor and take out Darien Fawkes. Life would be so much more pleasant without him, don't you think?" said Arnaud.

"I'll kill Huiclos," said Jason with cold venom.

"Ah yes, I anticipated that. Since my poor brother is receiving death threats, he has been moved to a very secure location since your last visit. You try to kill him, and you will be the one to die," said Arnaud as he sighed heavily. "I'm truly sorry it worked out this way, Jason, or should I say, Jeremy."

"What? How did you know that?" asked Jason breathlessly.

"I make it a point to know everything about the people I'm dealing with, friend. I wish you good luck in your descent into madness, and I'm sorry how things turned out for you. But look at it this way, I'm losing something too," said Arnaud.

"And what's that?" whispered Jason.

"Your gland. Use it well Jeremy. There are so many things you can do with it and something tells me that the madness will make you even more creative," said Arnaud thoughtfully. After a few beats he added, "It was nice knowing you. Goodbye and good luck, my friend."

"Wait!" shouted Jason, but the line was already dead.

He tried to stand up, but found that his legs would not support him. He started taking deep breaths. "Calm down, just calm down, Sullivan," he whispered to himself.

He stood up slowly and was pleased to find that his legs were working properly again. He slowly made his way out of the mall, trying to figure out what to do next.

Darien stood over his partner, stroking Bobby's arm softly. He hadn't slept or eaten in almost a week, and he had left his partner's side only once and that had only been to take care of a little get well present. Claire had come in several times to visit Bobby and check on Darien. Even she could not convince him to leave.

Darien felt awful. His head ached, his eyes burned, his stomach hurt and his back was stiff. He was deathly worried about Bobby and also Claire, who still wasn't feeling well. She had mentioned something about running some tests on herself, but Darien had been too out of it to remember which specific ones. 

On top of that, he was pondering the Arnaud and Chrysalis connection. The knowledge that Chrysalis was still functioning and that they were somehow connected to Arnaud was eating away at him. He would get them all, he promised Bobby. But he wouldn't go after them until Bobby had either recovered or died. He refused to leave his partner to fight the battle of life alone.

Darien sighed in misery and looked down at Bobby. "Come on, Hobbesy, it's been almost a week, buddy. They say the longer you're like this, the less likely you are to wake up. You're running out of time here, man," said Darien as tears started to well in his eyes.

He was giving up hope he realized. He didn't want to and he fought the urge with all that he had, but he couldn't deny it anymore. He was realizing that he might never get Bobby back and that thought terrified him.

He backed away from the bed, a few tears trickling down his cheeks. He felt like he was losing a brother all over again. He grasped his sides tightly with his hands, hugging himself. He felt like a damn about to burst. He chose for once not to fight it. Tears started flowing off his face in a steady stream. His sobs grew loud and they wracked through his whole body.

He curled into himself like he was his own teddy bear, trying to take comfort in something. What he needed right now was Claire, but Claire was facing her own problems. If she turned out to have some terminal disease or something, Darien was going to take a shotgun and blow his brains out right there.

As he cried, he felt his body get weaker and weaker. He could barely hold himself upright. Naturally, when Alex suddenly came up behind him and tapped him on the back, he nearly fell to the floor.

Alex reacted quickly and managed to keep Darien upright. Biting back the feeling of awkwardness, she pulled him into her arms and let him cry. She knew she wasn't his first choice, but she would have to do.

"Shhh, he's going to make it, Fawkes," she whispered in his ear.

His only response was a choked sob. Alex tightened her grip and ignored the fact that Darien's tears were probably going to ruin her new silk blouse. She didn't care. He had been there for her in the past and now it was her turn to be there for him.

As she held Darien, she glanced over at Bobby and her throat tightened a little. She had to admit she liked him, even though most days he and Darien annoyed the hell out of her. She felt her eyes burning and realized with some surprise that she too had tears coming from her eyes. Her body started to shake and she felt Darien clutch her tighter. She let her own emotions boil to the surface and soon found her head resting against Darien's heaving chest.

"Who died?" they heard rasped a few minutes later.

Darien's head whipped around and his eyes made contact with the chocolate brown eyes of Bobby Hobbes.

"Bobby?" asked Darien, uncertain if this was some weird kind of dream.

"What happened and who the hell shot me?" whispered Bobby weakly.

Alex released her hold on Darien and gave him a large smile. "I'll get a nurse," she said as she wiped at her eyes. She quickly walked out of the room.

Darien quickly stepped next to Bobby's bed and sat down in the chair that had been his bed for the last week. He grabbed Bobby's hand. "Don't you ever do that to me again," he sobbed, unable to stop his emotional flood.

He lay his head against the bed and continued to cry, only this time it was in relief.

Bobby raised his eyebrow in concern. "Hey D, I'm okay, partner. It's gonna take a lot more than a few pieces of metal to take out Bobby Hobbes, my friend," he said gently.

This only made Darien cry harder. Bobby stiffly moved his hand to the back of Darien's neck and started to rub it. He felt Darien start to calm down under his grip.

"Thanks for caring, Darien," whispered Bobby as a few tears appeared in his eyes. He heard a few sniffles coming from Darien and then a few seconds later he heard the soft sound of snoring. Bobby smiled in amusement at the thought Darien falling asleep at his side.

"Ahh, Mr. Hobbes, nice of you to join us," Bobby heard someone say.

He looked up and saw a brown-haired woman dressed in a nurse's uniform with a nametag reading Kristin entering the room. Alex followed behind her. Bobby smiled weakly and waved his hand at them.

Alex saw Darien passed out on the bed and looked at Bobby with concern. "What the hell happened to Fawkes?"

"He's just sleeping, that's all," said Bobby, his eyelids getting heavy.

Kristin moved towards Darien to wake him up. "Let's get him into a bed," she said.

Bobby shook his head. "No, no, don't wake him up. Just let him rest for awhile," he said, his own eyes closing in exhaustion.

Soon Bobby was fast asleep in his bed with Darien snoring his head off at his side. Alex wished she had a camera to take a picture of the sight. She left the two partners alone and headed back to the Agency to give Claire, Eberts, Jason and the Official the good news.

****************

Jason had tried to keep his sanity, he really had. He had invisibly infiltrated the Keep to search for counteragent. Luckily, Claire had been in the Official's office, so she would never know he had been there. His search had come up with nothing, and then he remembered that Darien was at least three days away from needing a shot so Claire hadn't made up the solution yet.

As he was leaving the Agency, the first attack hit him. Pain, horrible pain. He had only experienced quicksilver madness once and that had been during the first weeks of having the gland. After feeling it that first time, he vowed it would never happen again. But now he didn't have that option.He managed to get to his car and drive himself back to his apartment. When he got there, he lay on the bed and tried to somehow beat the madness. He had blacked out during one of the attacks and ended up unconscious in his bed for several hours. When he woke up, he realized that all the pain was gone. He got out of his bed and looked at himself in the mirror. He smiled in ecstasy when he saw that his eyes had turned silver. 

The freedom was wonderful. It was like being drunk and high at the same time. Jason wondered why he had ever bothered to take the counteragent in the first place. He began to think of Darien Fawkes and all the rest of his Agency cronies. A diabolical plan started to form in Jason's mind, a plan so much better than what he had originally intended for Darien.

He left his apartment and got into his car, heading towards Troy's apartment. When he got there, he giddily jumped out his car and skipped to the door. He pounded loudly and waited impatiently for Troy to open the door.

Troy opened the door and stared in shock at the sight before him.

Jason smiled widely. "Hey buddy, how's it going?" he said enthusiastically as he pushed his way through the door.

Troy closed the door and looked at him nervously. "What's going on, Jason?" he asked.

Jason trudged over to Troy's computer and started looking through the many disks that sat near the keyboard. "Oh, nothing much, I've just had a wonderful idea, that's all."

"You're in stage five, aren't you," said Troy, backing towards his bedroom.

"That's right and it's a very pretty place," said Jason as he found what he was looking for. He held up the disk that held all the information he had stolen from the Agency. "We won't be needing this anymore," he said as he set the disk on the ground and smashed it with his shoe.

Troy stepped forward in a panic. "Jason, what the hell are you doing? We need that!" he said urgently.

Jason smiled coolly at him. "No, no, no, no. That was simply clerical warfare. I have a solution that is much more permanent and much more painful."

"You're crazy, man. I agreed to help you so we could take the Agency down the right way, not in some violent emotional outburst. Let me help you, okay. I'll call De Phon," said Troy as he reached for the phone.

Jason stood up and knocked the phone out Troy's hand. "De Phon and I have since parted ways."

Troy took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. I'm gonna help you, J. I'll hire someone to make the solution. Hell we can go to the Agency and ask for the formula."

Jason shook his head. "It's too late for that. Besides, I don't want to come back. Now, what I need from you is some supplies. I know you got a sweet little hope chest sitting in the back of your closet in there," said Jason as he pointed towards Troy's bedroom.

Troy stood firmly in front of Jason. "I can't let you do that, Jeremy!" he said pointedly. "You're brother wouldn't want this."

"Haha, Jeremy," whispered Jason softly. Without warning, his hand gripped Troy's throat. "And what would you know about it anyway, huh best friend? My brother was my best friend, not you. Now I'm going to get justice for him and I'm going to do it right!" said Jason as he tightened his grip on Troy's throat.

Troy struggled as hard as he could against the tight grip but it was no use. He felt the life slowly drift out of him. "I'm sorry it turned out like this," he gasped as the life left his body. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body went limp. 

Jason tossed him aside on the floor carelessly and headed towards the bedroom. His eyes locked on the closet and he ran to it, throwing the doors open. He saw a large trunk and opened it eagerly. He licked his lips when he saw what was inside. Guns, ammo, plastique, timers, wires, and detonators. He smiled in delight. Now he had everything he needed to take the ultimate revenge against Darien Fawkes.

TBC


	8. Part 6

Several Hours Later 

DS#8 Uninvited Part 6

By Carol M.

See first parts for details

Note: If the seatbelts aren't buckled yet, you might want to do it now. Enjoy, kiddies!

Several Hours Later

"That's just disgusting, Hobbes," said Darien as he looked at a nasty scar on Bobby's shoulder.

"When you have a collection as good as mine, then you can talk disgusting Fawkes," said Bobby as he pulled a cover up and revealed a quarter-sized scar on his thigh. "Sniper, 1992, Beirut. Nearly bled to death among camel crap and cactus."

Darien shook his head. "Come on, man, I don't want to see this crap."

"What's a matter hotshot, afraid you can't compete?" said Bobby with a smirk.

"Hey, I will have you know I have some damn good scars, my friend," said Darien as he pulled up the sleeve of his shirt. He pointed to the scar on his arm from when he had gotten shot by Anders. "See, oh, oh, oh, wait," he said as he lifted up his shirt and pointed to a small scar on his stomach. "Arnaud," he said.

"That's pathetic, Fawkes," said Bobby.

"Yeah, well, give a few more years, I'm sure I'll catch up," he said. He looked down at the floor for a few seconds, the hospital room suddenly washed in a strange silence. "Hey Bobby," he suddenly whispered.

"Yeah, Fawkes?" asked Bobby.

"I just wanted you to know…you know…I, I love you and you're my best friend and all that crap," said Darien quickly.

Bobby smiled knowingly. "I already knew that. Same goes here, my friend," he said as he stuck out his hand.

Darien smiled and slapped it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box. "Got you a little present while you were busy scaring the hell out of me," he said as he tossed the box at Bobby.

Bobby gingerly picked up the box and shook it. He heard a jingle. He raised an eyebrow and eyed Darien curiously. "What did you do, partner?" he asked as he opened up the box. He pulled out a set of car keys. "Cute Fawkes, you wrap up the keys to Golda and try to pass it off as a present. Very smooth."

"Yeah well, I think if you were to go drive Golda, you would discover she's a whole new woman," said Darien smugly.

"What do you mean?" asked Bobby with slight concern.

"I took Golda in a for a little spa treatment. She needed some TLC and now she's running as good as new. Don't worry, I kept the crappy paint job and uncomfortable seats," said Darien with a smile.

"Hey D, she doesn't like, you know, talk now, does she?" asked Bobby.

"Okay, Hobbes, I couldn't afford to turn Golda into KITT," he said teasingly.

Bobby shrugged. "Just checking," he said as he sighed and closed his eyes.

"You getting tired, Hobbesy? I can leave you alone if you want, I got to get to the Agency soon, anyway," said Darien as he checked his watch.

Bobby shook his head and opened his eyes. "I'm just trying to remember what the hell happened when I got shot."

"Oh," said Darien softly. "From where I was standing, it looked like you completely broke cover and stood up. I remember standing there wondering what the hell you were doing."

"I don't know," said Bobby. "I think I saw something, but I just can't put my finger on it."

"Don't worry, you will," said Darien as he patted Bobby's shoulder. "What I want to know is why Arnaud is working with Chrysalis."

"You guys find anything out?" asked Bobby.

"Naw. We're all meeting with the Official to see what we're going to do next," said Darien.

Bobby frowned. "Wish I could be there," he said.

"Aw, don't worry, buddy. You'll be out of here in a few weeks and you'll be back in commission in a month or so," said Darien.

"I don't know if I can go that long without seeing any action," said Bobby.

Darien smiled. "I think you'll survive, buddy."

"We'll see," said Bobby. He cleared his throat. "How's the kid doing?"

"Sullivan? Fine. He came to visit you actually. I think he could fit in with us pretty well. I taught him the secret handshake," said Darien.

Bobby gave him a look of disbelief. "You taught him the secret handshake? Fawkes, the handshake is sacred."

"Yeah, I know, but I thought you wouldn't mind. I'm sorry," said Darien.

Bobby waved his hand. "Ah, it's alright." He looked down at the ground and something flashed through his mind. "Sullivan."

Darien looked confused. "Yeah, we were just talking about Sullivan."

"No, no, when I got shot, I remember looking at Sullivan. Something was weird with Sullivan," said Bobby.

"What do you mean, weird?" asked Darien.

Bobby shook his head. "I don't know. Where was he when I got shot?" 

"I think he was coming from the side somewhere, I don't know. I didn't really notice, I was more concerned with you at the time," said Darien. 

Darien's cell phone rang interrupted both of their thoughts.

"Sorry," said Darien as he reached into his pocket and answered his cell phone. "Yeah, this is Fawkes. Claire…whoa…whoa…slow down." 

Darien looked at his watch. "Yeah, I'm about to leave. It's about five after seven."

Bobby looked confused. Darien shook his head. "What is it? Are you okay?" asked Darien worriedly. "Are you sure? Yeah, I will. Okay, I'll be right there. I love you. Bye," said Darien, hanging up the phone.

"What, what?" asked Bobby.

"Claire says she has some news for me. She ran all kinds of tests on herself today," said Darien. "God, I hope she's okay."

"I'm sure she's fine," said Bobby. "Tell her I say hi."

Darien nodded. "She said she would come to visit you tomorrow. She couldn't leave the lab today because she's doing some kind of experiment on a rat. I don't know. God, she better be okay," said Darien. "I'm gonna go. Call me, if you remember anything."

Bobby nodded. "Will do."

Darien smiled. "Nice to have you around again, partner," he said as he walked to the door.

"Glad to be back," said Bobby.

"Catcha later, man," said Darien.

"Bye Fawkes," said Bobby as he leaned back into his bed, determined to remember what had gotten him shot. 

Claire set her phone down and let a happy giggle escape her mouth. She eyed a blood sample that she had recently taken from herself and could not hold back a smile. She was pregnant, and she was absolutely thrilled. 

She wanted to tell Darien so bad on the phone, but she had held back. This was really news he should hear in person. She hoped he was as happy about it as she was. The thought of Darien as a dad warmed her heart. He would make a wonderful father, and he would love their child with all his heart.

She practically skipped over to LR 30's cage to check the rat's progress. She was testing the effects of a new type of solution that might work as a time release form of counteragent. She saw to her chagrin that the rat's eyes were still very much silver. "Bloody hell," she said to herself.

She heard the whoosh of the Keep door open. "Darien, how did you get here so…Oh my god!" she said as she turned around and saw who had entered the door.

The scared eyes of Alex, Eberts and the Official greeted her, followed by the silver eyes of Jason Sullivan. He had guns pointed at the trio and a backpack slung over his shoulder.

Claire reached towards her phone. 

Jason stepped forward and put a gun to Alex's head. "You do anything and she dies," he yelled.

Claire stepped back and eyed him with fear. "What is this? Who the hell are you?"

Jason grinned. "Oh you'll find all that out soon enough, Mrs. Fawkes," he said as he pushed Alex roughly into a chair. She struggled to get up, but he was too strong. He pushed her harshly back into the chair and took a pair of cuffs out of his backpack, cuffing her to the chair. All the while he had his gun trained on the Official and Eberts.

He pointed at Claire. "You, get over here," he said. When she didn't comply, Jason got up and pushed her over to a chair. He cuffed her as well.

"What are you going to do, Sullivan?" said the Official as he was cuffed to a chair.

"Oh you'll see. You guys are going to get front row seats," said Jason as he cuffed Eberts to a chair as well. "Now, just one question. Where is Mr. Fawkes?"

No one answered. "Cute, very cute, kiddies. Funny but I thought you had a meeting scheduled for seven thirty. When Fawkes doesn't find anyone in the meeting room, he'll come right down here. Right into my trap," he said with a smile.

Bobby was staring at the wall of his hospital room, trying to put two and two together. It was there, it was there right in front of his face, he just knew it. He remembered looking to his side and seeing Jason. But what was it about Sullivan that had freaked him out so much?

He looked out his window and sighed heavily. Come on Bobby, you can do this, he said to himself. Think, damn it, think. He looked around the room and saw a glint of something. The end of his bed frame was sparkling from the reflection of the sun. Silver. Flaking quicksilver. "Oh my god," whispered Bobby. "He's got the gland, he's got a freakin gland!"

He quickly reached for the phone next to his bed and dialed Darien's cell.

Darien parked his car in the nearly empty parking lot of the Agency and quickly got out. His heart was pounding with anticipation of Claire's news. He couldn't take bad news, he just couldn't. 

He walked briskly into the Agency and cursed the Official for calling such a late meeting. Even the damn guards had gone home. All he wanted to do was take Claire home and deal with whatever news she was about to tell him.

He got into the elevator and pushed the down button. He rolled his eyes at the soft music that was playing in the elevator and absently wondered if the Official would ever change the music. Probably not, he mused.

He got off the elevator and made his way towards the Keep. Please be okay, Claire, please be okay, he whispered to himself. He jumped when his cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.

"Fawkes," he said into the phone.

"Fawkes, Fawkes, I know what happened!" he heard Bobby yell into the phone.

"Whoa, whoa calm down there little tiger," he said. "What is it? What happened?" asked Darien as he pulled his keycard out of his pocket and put it into the slot outside the Keep door.

"Sullivan's got a gland!" yelled Bobby.

But Darien already knew. He dropped his cell phone in shock when the door opened and he saw the silver eyes of Jason Sullivan gleaming in the dull light of the Keep. He saw Claire, Eberts, Alex and the Official sitting in the background.

"Nice of you to join us, Mr. Fawkes," said Jason with a wicked smile.

******************

"Fawkes, Fawkes!" yelled Bobby into the phone, but the line went dead on the other end. He struggled against his injuries and tried to get out of bed. Half of the monitors attached to him started to ring in alarm.

A few nurses ran into the room when they heard the commotion. "Mr. Hobbes, you need to get back into bed," said Nurse Kristin as she pushed Bobby back down.

"No, no, you need to get somebody over to the Harding building. My friends are in grave danger," said Bobby urgently.

Nurse Kristin pulled out a needle. "Whatever you say, Mr. Hobbes," she said as she injected the sedative into his arm.

"No, they need help, they need…" Bobby's eyes rolled back into his head and he was instantly asleep.

TBC 


	9. Part 7

DS#8 Uninvited Part 7 

DS#8 Uninvited Part 7

By Carol M.

See first parts for disclaimers and stuff

Rating: This part is R for violence. No offense intended with the content. As I said before, I had this idea long before the Sept. 11th attacks.

Note: Two words: Sorry, Darien. Enjoy it, folks!

"Payback's a bitch," said Jason as he grabbed a very shocked Darien and threw him towards Claire's desk. He smashed into it hard, knocking the computer to the ground and nearly splitting the desk in half. He felt his ribs painfully connecting with the wood and wondered if any were broken.

He quickly tried to get his footing and crawl away, but Jason was just too fast for him. He picked Darien off the floor and landed a punch to Darien's face. Darien's head snapped back, but Jason quickly pulled it back. Darien brought his own fist up and landed a hard punch to Jason's face. Jason didn't even flinch. "You should know that a little punch won't hurt me when I'm like this," said Jason as he landed several sharp blows to Darien's stomach. Darien groaned and doubled over, trying to catch his breath.

Claire screamed. "Stop it, you bastard!" she yelled. Tears were streaming down her face.

Jason turned and looked at her. "Oh I've only just begun, I'm afraid," he said as he pulled Darien up and threw him into the fish tank. Darien's back impacted with both the fish tank and the table supporting the tank. The tank and table broke into a million pieces sending wood, water and fish flowing all over the floor.

Darien lay amongst the mess in a daze, his back killing him. The fall had managed to not only cut him, but also bruise him badly as well. He looked up and saw Jason standing over him, grinning. 

"Who are you?" Darien weakly rasped.

Jason brought his shoe down on Darien's ribs, smashing it against them several times until he heard the sound of bone crunching.

"Oh god," moaned Darien. He wrapped his arms around his ribs and rolled over. Jason responded by smashing his shoe on Darien's back. Darien whimpered and tried to get away, but found that he could hardly move.

Jason looked over at his audience and saw that Alex was busy trying to get her handcuffs off. Eberts was doing the same thing. "Don't bother. They're specially made, they won't come off," said Jason.

The Official cleared his throat loudly, getting Jason's attention. "Sullivan, stop this, please! Whatever you want you can have!" he yelled in desperation. Claire glanced at the Official and gave him a grateful look. 

"Hahahah, Sullivan. You think I'm Sullivan. Jason Sullivan is cover for my career in the CIA," said Jason as he looked down at Darien.

He set his foot down on Darien's chest and left it there, allowing Darien to get only a trickle of air into his burning lungs.

Jason continued. "Well I guess this would be the part in Scooby Doo where I take my mask off and reveal who I really am. Allow me to introduce myself. The name is Jeremy. Jeremy Stark," he said as he pushed his shoe harder into Darien's chest.

Darien's eyes widened and he let a low moan escape from his lips. "Stark," he rasped.

Jason's eyes clouded over. "Stark. Jared Stark was my brother you son of a bitch," he said as he removed his foot and picked Darien up by his jacket. "You and this damn Agency killed my brother and everything that he helped to create. Now I'm going to destroy all of you."

He moved Darien towards the refrigerator and gave him a hard shove. Darien's head impacted against the glass, shattering it. He fell limply to the floor, his head pounding. Jason picked him up and wrestled him towards the counteragent chair. "You just had to kill him, didn't you. Storm into the damn place and destroy everything," he said as he pushed Darien's face into the chair and wrenched his arms painfully behind his back. "All because my brother kidnapped your little bitch," he said as he slammed Darien against the chair.

"Your brother was a bastard," said Darien defiantly.

Fury exploded in Jason's mind. He grabbed Darien's arm and pulled it at an impossible angle as hard as he could.

"Ahhhhh," screamed Darien as he felt his arm break.

"Stop, stop it, please!" yelled Claire.

"No way in hell," said Jason as he wrapped his hands around Darien's throat and squeezed with all of his strength. Darien paled as the pain and lack of oxygen assaulted his body.

Jason could feel the muscles of Darien's throat struggling against his grip, which made him only squeeze tighter. Darien grabbed onto Jason's arms and started clawing at them, but found that his strength was quickly leaving. He began to see stars and felt blackness starting to take him.

"Uh, uh, not yet," said Jason as he released his grip on Darien's throat and slapped him across the face.

Darien's chest heaved and ached as he tried to take in deep breaths. He coughed, which sent fire through his entire body.

"You know what it is to lose a brother, Fawkesy. You know the feeling of wanting to absolutely pummel the person responsible, don't you," said Jason as he let Darien fall to the floor. He kneeled down next to him and picked his head up by his hair. "My brother was my best friend, Darien. I became a CIA agent because of him. My whole life revolved around him."

"Yeah, well life's a bitch, right," whispered Darien.

Jason slammed Darien's head against the floor. "You just don't know when to shut up, do you?"

"Why the name change, Sullivan, or should I say Stark," said the Official suddenly, trying to take the heat off of Darien.

Jason turned and looked at him. "Strategic reasons. My brother needed someone in another agency of the government that was in no way connected to Chrysalis. If you wouldn't have been so busy patting yourselves on the back over the demise of Chrysalis, maybe you could have found some of this stuff out for yourself. Chrysalis is not dead, and it never will be."

"Looks like Arnaud screwed you over pretty bad there," said Alex. "You got a gland from him, right?"

"Boy, you're quick. Didn't you find it a little funny that I just let Rendell escape from her hideout or that I was nowhere to be found during Arnaud's jailbreak? For a five-star agent, you're not too bright," said Jason as he looked down at Darien. "And don't even get me started on your idiot partner," he said harshly.

Claire was fuming. "Oh yeah, well Bobby was the one to kill your brother, Jeremy. In my book, that pretty much makes him a genius," yelled Claire with venom. She gasped when she realized that her anger might have put Bobby in danger as well.

Jason snorted. "Hobbes is a hired gun. I want the person pulling the strings and that's Mr. Fawkes here," said Jason as he kicked Darien in the stomach. Darien moaned softly, his grip on consciousness fading rapidly.

"Excuse me, Jeremy, but I am in charge of this Agency," said the Official. "Isn't that right, Eberts?" he said as he glanced next to him.

"Yes, sir, that is correct," answered Eberts on cue.

"If you're going to take revenge against anyone, take it on me. Leave Darien alone. He's been through quite enough," said the Official as he eyed Darien's bloody form.

Jason shook his head. "Oh no, no, no, no. Fawkes was the one who tangled with Allianora and ended up compromising many of Chrysalis' most important missions. He is personally responsible for screwing over not only Chrysalis but also my brother on many different occasions. If it wasn't for him, Chrysalis would be up and running at full force, and my brother would still be alive," he said as he pulled Darien off the floor. "Isn't that right, Fawkesy," he said as he violently pushed Darien through the glass separator of the Keep.

The glass shattered all over the floor. Darien landed hard among the glass, knocking his ribs and jostling his arm. His face and neck were cut, along with his back. It was with a silent thank you that he passed out.

Jason pulled a pair of handcuffs out of his backpack and roughly put them on Darien. Then he brought down his foot and smashed it into Darien's knee. A moan escaped Darien's lips even though he was unconscious. "That should stop him from going anywhere for awhile," he said as he walked over to his backpack and sat on the ground. He started pulling out wires, a timer and some plastique.

Claire looked over at him and swallowed a sob. Her gaze moved to Darien and her stomach froze. This couldn't be happening now. Not when everything had a chance to be wonderful. It wasn't fair.

****************

A half-hour later, Darien had yet to regain consciousness. Jason was busy setting up his bomb and had stopped paying attention to his captives. Claire could see Alex and the Official mouthing something to one another, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. Eberts was looking at Darien, a sad frown on his face.

She realized something at that moment. These people, Alex, Eberts, the Official, were just as much a part of her family as Darien or Bobby. They could be cold ruthless bastards, but she knew when the going got rough, they would stick together and back them up. The thought put a little hope back into her heart that they might somehow make it through this.

She heard a soft moan and quickly turned her head towards Darien. He was waking up, thank god. She knew he was in a lot of pain, but she could fix all of that. Right now, she was just happy he was alive.

Jason heard Darien stir and dramatically stood up. He picked up his bomb and moved it to the center of the room. Then he knelt down next to Darien and kicked him so he was laying on his back. 

Darien cried out as his arm and back were smashed against the hard floor. He looked to his side and saw the bomb sitting next to him in all its glory. He gave Jason the puppy dog eyes. "Don't do this, man. This isn't you. This is the stage five talking. Believe me, I know what it's like," he pleaded weakly.

Jason slapped Darien across the face. "Don't presume to know me so well, Darien."

"No, no. You make yourself out to be this hotshot killer, but I don't believe it for a second. You're better than this, Jeremy. You are so talented and could do so much good with what you have. Don't end it like this," whispered Darien.

"You're just jealous, Fawkes. Jealous that you never had the guts to do to Arnaud what I'm doing to you. Don't tell me that you haven't dreamed of doing the same thing to him. You're no different than me," yelled Jason.

"Yeah, well if you weren't in stage five I don't believe for a second that you would have the guts to do any of this," said Darien.

"I guess we'll never know, will we?" said Jason.

"I guess not," whispered Darien. He nodded towards his wife and friends. "Let them go. This is between you and me."

Jason smiled and shook his head. "Nope. You're all going together. I'll let Hobbesy live. Without you guys, he'll fall apart and that'll be revenge enough. He'll spend the rest of his days in some padded room trying to think of a way to kill himself so he can join his friends."

Darien shook his head. "You're a sick son of a bitch."

"Yes I am," said Jason as he viciously started to kick Darien. Blow after blow landed on Darien's back, stomach, ribs, face and throat. His mouth cried out one long, never ending whimper as the pain tore through him.

Claire and Alex screamed for Jason to stop, but he wouldn't let up.

"Stop!" yelled the Official and Eberts simultaneously.

When Jason saw that Darien was nearly unconscious again, he stopped kicking him. He stepped to the bomb and started up the timer. Five minutes. He pressed a button and the timer started to tick off.

He gave Darien one last kick and glanced over at the under-funded six minus two.

"See you all in hell," he said as he picked up his backpack and walked out the door.

TBC (evil grin) What can I say, I like cliffhangers : )


	10. Part 8

DS#8 Uninvited Part 8 

DS#8 Uninvited Part 8

By Carol M.

See first parts for details

Rating: R for violence. No offense intended with content.

Note: Thanks for the feedback guys! Enjoy the next part!

Darien was swimming in a river of pain. Every muscle burned, every bone ached, and every inch of his skin was on fire. He wanted nothing more than to pass out and end the agony, but something was stopping him. He could vaguely hear someone yelling at him, and something told him that whatever they were yelling was important. He cleared his mind and tried to focus all of his energy on the voice he heard.

"Darien! Darien you have to get up, please!" he heard yelled in a desperate manner.

He knew that voice. Claire. His wife. His lover. His other best friend. She wouldn't be yelling at him when he was hurting this badly unless it was absolutely necessary. He moaned and opened his eyes. He made out the blurry image of several people sitting a few feet away from him. The muffled sounds of yelling became clearer. The steady tick of something beside him grew much louder and more impatient.

He swallowed hard and attempted to push himself off the ground. He made the mistake of using his broken arm to aid him and white-hot pain lanced through his whole body. He whimpered pitifully and fell back to the floor.

"Get up, you have to get up, Darien," he heard someone else yell with fear evident in their tone. This time it was a man's voice. The Official.

Okay, things had to be pretty bad if the Official sounded afraid. He managed to push himself half way off the ground and had to stop and rest from the effort. He looked to his side and saw the bomb ticking off. 3:50, 3:49.

He lifted his head and looked at his friends. He remembered where he was now. He knew they were minutes away from becoming a permanent part of the Keep. With super human effort, he dragged his broken body towards the ticking device. He flipped himself so his restrained hands were facing the bomb. His hand caressed the top of the bomb as quicksilver flowed out of his fingers. He turned his head to see if his quicksilvering had worked. He saw that the device was frozen, but it had not stopped ticking.

"It's not working," he heard a tiny voice say. His own, he realized after a few seconds.

He looked towards his friends with desperate eyes.

"Pull the wires out," he heard Alex say.

He turned his attention back to the bomb and pulled out all the wires. Still the bomb continued to tick. 3:40, 3:39.

"Damn, the wires are just a decoy," he heard Alex yell in frustration.

Darien's head drooped towards the floor, his body sagging in defeat. 

"Darien, Darien look at me, focus on me," he heard a voice yell.

He looked up and saw Claire staring intently at him.

"Can you pick the lock of your cuffs?" she asked.

Darien shook his head. "Not without looking at them," he murmured weakly.

"Then try quicksilvering the cuffs," she said.

Darien did what he was told. He felt a searing flash of cold pain grip his wrist. The quicksilver was freezing the cuffs and giving his wrists frostbite. He realized the metal of the cuffs was too solid and would not break apart. He looked up at Claire again, unsure of what to do next.

"Darien, quicksilver your hand and try to slip it out of the cuffs. The quicksilver might be slippery enough to let you get your hand out," said Claire.

He could do that. He quicksilvered his right hand and pulled at the cuffs. He could feel the handcuffs cutting his wrist in tatters, but it seemed to be working. He pulled with all of his strength and sighed in relief when he felt his hand emerge from the handcuffs.

He looked towards his friends. "Pen," he muttered hoarsely.

Eberts looked down at the pens displayed in his pocket pen protector. He bowed his head down and pulled one out of the holder with his mouth. Then he swung his head out and threw the pen at Darien.

Darien quickly grabbed it and painfully made his way over to Claire. His ribs and back were screaming and he could feel the salt from tears of pain burning the cuts on his face and neck. He tried to ignore it. He reached her and with shaky hands, began to pick the lock. Ten seconds later, Claire's hands were free.

She immediately stepped behind the chair and helped Darien's toward Alex. Darien struggled with her handcuffs as the pain caught up with him and threatened to put him into darkness. After about thirty seconds, she was free as well. 

Alex quickly ran over to the bomb to try and disarm it.

Darien crawled towards Eberts next, all the while feeling Claire rubbing him gently on the back. He fumbled with the pen and dropped it, his arm barely having enough strength to hold his hand upright. Claire picked up the pen and put it in his hand. Then she reached for his arm and supported it, while Darien picked Eberts cuffs. Twenty seconds later they were off.

Darien sagged in exhaustion, not wanting to move anymore. But he needed to do this one more thing before he could sleep. He crawled with all of his willpower to the Official and began to fumble with the cuffs. Claire supported his body as he started to quiver in pain and exhaustion.

After what felt like an eternity, he got the cuffs off of the Official. His body slumped and he fell to the floor in exhaustion. Claire was at his side, cradling his body and stroking his forehead gently. 

The Official stepped out of his chair and looked down at Darien, sorrow shining in his eyes.

"I can't stop it!" yelled Alex from her position next to the bomb. "30 seconds."

Claire immediately tried to help Darien off the floor, but stopped when the movement made him moan in agony. "Darien, we have to get out of here," she said through tears of desperation.

He couldn't move and he didn't want to. "Just leave me here," Darien whimpered.

He felt strong hands lifting him off the ground and couldn't stifle the groan that escaped his lips. "We're not leaving you behind, son," said the Official as he hoisted Darien off the ground. He put Darien's good arm around his shoulder. Eberts joined him on the other side and gently supported Darien's broken arm with one hand and used his other hand to support Darien's lower back. Darien moaned in pain and nearly lost consciousness again.

Together, the Official and Eberts half carried, half dragged Darien out of the Keep. Claire and Alex followed behind.

"10 seconds," Alex yelled as she encouraged them to pick up the pace. 

The group ran as fast as they could, but the Official and Eberts were not getting far with the near dead weight of Darien between them. Claire and Alex came up behind them and pushed at their backs, giving them a little bit of propelled forward motion.

All Darien could feel was pain. His stomach was doing flip-flops and his vision was swimming in and out. Every step down the hallway was agony and he cried out nearly the whole way.

The last thing Darien remembered was the sound of a large explosion followed by hot air pushing his mangled body through the air. He gratefully welcomed the darkness that followed.

Three days later

"That's it, that's it, open you're eyes," Darien heard a female voice say. 

He felt someone softly caressing his face from his forehead all the way to his jaw. There was only one person who did that to him and her name was Claire. His eyes fluttered open and he was greeted with the sight of Claire's face only inches from his. A smile appeared on her face.

Darien moaned softly as his senses became aware of everything around him. An uncomfortable bed. Lots of white. Annoying little beeps.

He looked at Claire in confusion. "Am I dead?" he rasped, barely able to talk.

Claire laughed gently and wiped a stray piece of hair off his forehead. "Well if you are, then I've been holding the hand of a corpse for the last three days."

Darien managed a weak smile. He attempted to move and was rewarded with sharp pain coming from seemingly every part of his body. His forehead crinkled in pain.

Claire rubbed his cheek softly. "How are you feeling?" she asked.

Darien snorted. "Like my body was used as a human wrecking ball," he whispered as he looked down and saw the many bandages covering his body and the cast on his arm. "How's everyone else?"

"Everyone's fine. Minor cuts and bruises, that's all. The Keep's gone, but he rest of the building wasn't damaged. The Official has promised me money for a new and improved Keep," she said with a sly smile. "Oh and don't worry about the counteragent. The formula isn't even kept in the Keep. The Official has it locked up somewhere in his office."

Darien nodded in relief. "Hobbes?" 

"He's recovering nicely. He should be out of the hospital by the end of the week. He wanted to come and see you, but he's just too weak right now. He sends his love," she said.

Darien nodded and looked up at the ceiling. His eyes clouded for a second. "Sull…Stark?"

Claire took a deep breath. "They got him. After he left us, he apparently went after a few innocent civilians and killed them. Police finally caught up with him and shot him. They sent him upstate to a psychiatric facility. He's under heavy guard and sedation. He'll never get out," she said gently.

Darien nodded slowly. His eyes drifted towards hers and then a flash of remembrance went through his eyes. "Tests, what about the tests you were running on yourself?" he whispered quickly.

Claire's face broke out into a nervous smile.

"What, what is it? Is it some terrible disease?" asked Darien urgently.

"No, no, nothing like that," said Claire reassuringly. She grabbed one of hands and started to rub it. "I have some news. Good news, I hope."

"What is it?" said Darien with wide eyes.

Claire took a deep breath. "I'm pregnant," she said simply.

"You're pregnant?" repeated Darien.

Claire nodded. "Pregnant."

Darien's eyes started to well up with tears. "I'm going to be a daddy?" he whispered softly.

"Yeah, you sure are," she said gently.

A huge smile appeared on Darien's face and soundless tears slowly trickled down his cheeks. "Wow…that's…that's…that's really cool, Keep," he said softly.

Claire's own eyes welled with tears. "I was hoping you would say that," she said as she leaned down and delicately kissed his lips.

Darien melted into the kiss and ran his good hand through her hair. Claire ran her hands down his chest gently, not wanting to hurt him anymore. "Love you," she murmured into his ear.

"Love you too, Claire," he whispered.

She pulled away with hesitation and ran her hand down his face once more. "You need to get some sleep," she whispered.

Darien nodded in exhaustion and his eyes drifted shut. A small smile appeared on his face. "Thanks, Keep," he muttered as he fell asleep.

Claire picked his hand up again and kissed it. "Thank you, Darien."

TBC


	11. Epilogue

A week later 

DS#8 Uninvited Epilogue

By Carol M.

Note: Well we've reached the end of the road for this story. There will be more Devil's Silver stories in the future if you want them. I had a wonderful time writing this one and I hope you enjoyed reading it as well. Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! Enjoy the last part! 

A week later

Arnaud sat on the deck of his newly purchased Mexican hacienda enjoying the sunset and smoking a cigarette. He had forgotten how much he missed color. Every free moment he spent was outside on the deck, admiring the colors of the sky at various times during the day.

He sighed happily and took a drag of his cigarette. Elizabeth had reversed his permanent invisibility with a few snips and tucks. They both could not get over how easy the solution had been. Easy and painless. The only reminder Arnaud had of the surgery that had taken place less then 3 days earlier was his shaved head. But his hair would grow back soon enough. Small price to pay to be visible again.

Everything was grand. He was out of jail, he was visible and he had customers lining up to buy the gland. All he needed to do now was to get his brother out of jail, but that was a problem for another day.

He absently thought of Jason Sullivan and a slice of regret tore through him. He really had screwed the man over. If Sullivan ever got out of his little drug-induced slumber, Arnaud was probably one of the first people he would go after. Right after Darien Fawkes that is.

He shook all of these thoughts out of his mind and took another drag of his cigarette. He felt arms wrapping around him from the back.

"Arnie," whispered Elizabeth into his ear. "It's so good to be able to feel the real you."

Arnaud nuzzled against her. "You too, my darling. Is everything set?"

Elizabeth kissed Arnaud's neck and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Winters will be here in an hour to discuss the purchase of a gland."

Arnaud smiled and turned his head to look at her. "Perfect," he said as he kissed her on the lips.

Claire opened the door to her and Darien's apartment eagerly, wanting to see how Darien was doing. He had been released from the hospital the day before and she was expecting to find him watching Wheel of Fortune in a drug-induced haze.

When she got through the door and heard no noise, she frowned in confusion. Then she looked at the bed and saw a large lump under the covers. She quickly ran over to the bed and found Darien curled up in a ball in his pajamas. His arm was tucked protectively around his ribs and his forehead was creased in discomfort.

Claire shook him gently. "Darien," she whispered.

"Hmmmm," murmured Darien.

Claire shook him again. "Darien," she said a little louder.

Darien slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" she asked with concern as she pulled down the covers and started doing a cursory exam of his body.

"My ribs hurt," he moaned.

She looked next to the bed and saw that the painkillers she had left him that morning had not been taken. "Why didn't you take your pain pills?" she asked.

"I don't like the way they make me feel. All dizzy and out of it," he said.

Claire frowned. "Darien, you need to take your medicine, at least for the next few days."

Darien laughed slightly. "Yes mother."

Claire left him for a moment and returned with a glass of water. She picked up the pills and put them in his mouth. Then she supported his neck while he swallowed down the pills with water. He lay back down against the bed with a look of sadness on his face.

"What's wrong?" asked Claire with concern.

Darien shook his head. "It's nothing."

"Come on, spill it," urged Claire.

Darien took a deep breath. "I don't know… I just keep thinking about Jeremy. About what he did, what he said. I just, I just can't completely fault him for everything he did, you know. To him, I was Arnaud, and he was just trying to get revenge for his brother. That pretty much makes him just like me," he said sadly.

Claire put her hand under his chin and pushed his head up so he was looking at her. "No, it doesn't, Darien. You never killed Arnaud. You may have tried, but you never went through with it. You know deep down in your heart that that's not what Kevin would have wanted. You wouldn't hurt a fly Darien, not even Arnaud."

Darien nodded. "I guess," he said. He looked away for a second and then looked back at her. "I guess we're back at square one, huh. Arnaud's out there, free and selling glands, and Chrysalis is back with a vengeance, literally."

Claire smiled gently. "I wouldn't say we're exactly back at square one. We've got a perfect little person to look forward to meeting in a few months."

Darien eyes started to sparkle. "Oh yeah, that," he said teasingly as he reached out a hand and touched Claire's stomach. "How's our little Fawkesy doing?"

"Good. Perfect, just like her daddy," she said, emphasizing her.

"He," retorted Darien, "will be absolutely incredible. With my thieving skills and your good looks, this kid is going to be something else. Hobbesy will be teaching the kid kung fu before he's out of diapers."

"And Alex will be showing her how to shoot before she's four," added Claire.

Darien took a deep breath. "I guess we just have to be thankful for what we have and worry about all the rest of the crap when it smacks us in the face, huh," he offered.

"I guess so," said Claire as she climbed into bed next to him.

"Oh, are we having a little cuddle party?" asked Darien.

"You bet your ass we are. As soon as those painkillers hit, I plan on taking advantage of you," she whispered in his ear.

"Promise?" he said.

"Oh yeah," said Claire as she turned Darien onto his side and spooned him from behind. She brought both of her arms around and hugged him as tight as she dared. Then she moved one hand under his pajamas and let it rest on his stomach, feeling the motion of his breathing. She heard the sound of snoring several seconds later.

She let the reassuring sound and motion send her into a comfortable sleep that was filled with images of Darien playing with a little girl. Their little girl.

That's All Folks


End file.
